Many of the traditional computer security indicators are static. Others provide feedback to users, such as the lock icon in a web browser. Security risk factors when authenticating a user of a computer device may include time of use, location of use, crowdedness of the current environment from where the computer device is being used, security posture of the authentication device (e.g., smartphone, tablet computer), and/or others.
When using a computer device, or for example logging onto a computer system via a computer device, a user may be requested to follow an authentication procedure such as entering a password. An automated computer security authentication process may also request additional information from the user to authorize or authenticate the user into the computer device or computer system.
Users may consider an authentication procedure as a secondary task, and as a disruption to the primary task. An automated computer system may provide an explanation of why this secondary (authentication) task might be necessary. Such risk communication provides an ordinary user with information as to why additional authentication challenges are being presented to the user, thus justifying more user effort.